Jim Hamilton and David Paice shown red cards after being sin-binned
Jim Hamilton and David Paice are set to face a disciplinary hearing following the brawl they sparked at the Madjeski Stadium on Saturday. Both players were shown yellow cards, resumed fighting, then were sent off with reds cards.
Having come to blows and exchanged a few quick shots, both players were sin-binned by referee Dave Pearson, but when walking off had another go after it looked like Paice got too verbal.
A massive brawl ensued, with blows flying freely and a few players probably lucky to have not been cited. Hamilton and Paice were called back and red carded, and will appear in front of a Rugby Football Union disciplinary committee on Thursday this week.
“Jim Hamilton was the instigator and then when they were both yellow carded Hamilton has punched David Paice twice in the head and split him open and he has a dozen stitches in his forehead, and the all-in started from there,” said London Irish director of rugby Brian Smith.
“Hamilton has got a lot to answer for – itâs not the 1970s. It was a blight on the game. He is a Test player but I would be surprised if he plays any Test footy this summer because it was a disgrace,” he added, referring to Scotland’s upcoming tour of Australia, Fiji, and Samoa.
Hooker Paice on the other hand, capped twice by England and having played regularly with the Saxons, may have ruined his chances of selection for England’s tour of South Africa.
London Irish scored six tries and won the game 52-18, after having led 34-11 at half time.
Check out the Related Posts below the video for a selection of mass brawls, and tell us, if you were making the decisions on Thursday, what suspensions would you hand out?
Photo credit: Gareth Davies/Pinnacle
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Toulon through to Challenge Cup final after nail-biting win over Stade Francais
Jonny Wilkinson kicked a last minute drop goal to secure an Amlin Challenge Cup final spot for Toulon as they beat Stade Francais 32-29 in an enjoyable semi final on Friday night. They will face Biarritz in the final after they beat Brive 19-0 in the other semi.
Toulon got off to an incredible start as Steffon Armitage scored down the left wing, but Stade Francais came back into the match through their young number ten Jules Plisson.
The Parisian side then led the game for most of the half, and scored a try in the second period through former Wallaby Morgan Turinui, who had George Smith as his centre partner on the night.
Wilkinson steered Toulon home though, picking up a personal tally of 27 points and kicking the decisive drop goal with time almost up and the scores tied at 29-29. The former England hero missed a few kicks on the night, attributing that to the conditions.
“It was very tricky out there with the wind. It was disappointing as well because had I put a couple of the other kicks over then maybe we might found ourselves with a lead,” he said.
“As it was they just kept getting back into the game, playing brilliantly and forced us to go right to the end. It could have gone either way. I missed a couple off the tee and I thought with the drop goal at the end that if I miss this I might not go back into the changing room afterwards.
“I thought the guys deserved better than this after working so hard to get the penalties – I should have put a few more over. All you can do is keep fighting towards the end and keep trying to do the right thing. I was trying to think clearly about the process, of where I was on the field.
“I was thinking about what I was trying to go and getting the right contact and visualising in my mind what needed to be done to try to make it more said and done deal. You try to line the physical thing with what you put in your head before hand and thankfully that went well.”
Highlights and clips of all the European action, and Super Rugby, will be featured throughout the week. Please get in touch if you’d like to contribute or request specific incidents.
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Pienaar relief after Ulster win
Ruan Pienaar says Ulster will have to improve for the Heineken Cup final after overcoming Edinburgh in a tight semi-final in Dublin.
BBC Sport – Rugby Union
Force eye more big names after Genia
After lining up Wallabies halfback Will Genia for 2013, Western Force set their sights on more big names to rebuild the struggling club.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Afoa could miss semi after citing
Ulster prop John Afoa is in danger of missing the Heineken Cup semi-final with Edinburgh after being cited for a dangerous tackle.
BBC Sport – Rugby Union
Jannie Du Plessis slapped with off-field yellow card after starting dust-up
Sharks prop Jannie Du Plessis has been issued an off-field yellow card following a slap that sparked an all-in brawl between the Hurricanes and Sharks in New Plymouth on Saturday. The hosts played some great rugby and won the game 42-18.
Fiery flanker Karl Lowe and Du Plessis, brother of hooker Bismarck, had exchanged words at the ruck before a shove to the chest/face prompted a return slap from the Springbok front rower. This sparked a brawl the likes of which we haven’t seen for a long time in Super Rugby.
“It was a pretty hard slap and he’s a big boy. I wouldn’t like to meet him down a dark alley,” Lowe said after the game. Hooker Dane Coles said he emerged from a ruck to see mass chaos.
“I looked up and saw three different scraps going on. I tried to break it up but it was a decent bust-up. I’ll have to watch the replay and see how it went. It was like a State of Origin fight. But once it was over the boys got on with the job,” said the Hurricanes’ Coles.
“Hopefully nothing comes out of it. What happens on the field should stay on the field,” he added.
Despite the majority of players getting involved at some point, most of which wasn’t caught on camera, Du Plessis was the only player to be issued an off-field card, as he instigated the ruckus.Â
Referee Glen Jackson issued a white card to both sides and penalised the Sharks upon recommendation of his touchjudge. The Springbok front rower was later charged with ‘Punching or striking an opponent’. He has not been suspended, but the yellow card will go on his record.
“The citing commissioners, after they looked at the full footage, saw Jannie du Plessis struck Karl Lowe with an open hand,” said SANZAR CEO Greg Peters told the Sunday Star-Times.
“It didn’t, in their minds, reach the threshold for a citing, even though it did spark the incident, which wasn’t a good look. They’ve looked at the initial strike from Jannie and Karl Lowe’s response, plus other players who were involved.
“I haven’t counted up the number of players who ran in but they’ve considered the full incident,” he added, saying that Du Plessis was very close to a meeting with the judiciary.
View a quick highlights summary of the match
What’s your thoughts on what took place, and and the handling of it? If you’re not registered to comment yet (without needing to verify each time), you can do so quickly here.Â
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Wales win Grand Slam after tense battle with France in Cardiff
Wales beat France 16-9 to claim the 2012 Six Nations title, and their third Grand Slam in seven years. Wing Alex Cuthbert scored the only try of the game, while Leigh Halfpenny kicked 11 points.
Elsewhere, Scotland picked up the Wooden Spoon as they lost 13-6 to Italy at the Stadio Olimpico. Scotland coach Andy Robinson will more than likely face the chop after having lost five from five.
At Twickenham, England gave Ireland a bit of a St Patricks Day hiding as they beat them 30-9, more than likely securing intermim coach Stuart Lancaster’s position.
We’ll get clips and highlights over the best bits from the Six Nations, Super Rugby, and everywhere else, over the next few days.
Congratulations to Wales on a deserved win. What are your thoughts on the day’s results?
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Rebels beaten after the siren
The Cheetahs score a try after the siren to win a thrilling Super Rugby match against Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park by seven points.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Keven Mealamu struck with bottle after Bulls vs Blues game
Here’s a look at incident everyone is talking about, when Keven Mealamu was struck on the head with a water bottle by a pitch-invader at full time in the Bulls vs Blues Super Rugby game. The man in question was arrested immediately following the altercation.
At just short of fulltime in their game at Loftus Versveld in Pretoria, the Bulls scored a late try through winger Bjorn Basson, setting them up for a losing bonus point conversion attempt from Morne Steyn, who duly slotted the kick.
Basson was dived on by Rene Ranger though, in a covering tackle that was deemed illegal and resulted in a yellow and white card being shown. Ranger has since been suspended for two matches, after his tackle was deemed to have been reckless and late.Â
What followed was pretty ugly as Bulls fans were angry at not only the tackle, but the decision from referee Steve Walsh to not award a penalty restart on the halfway line.
A Bulls fan evaded security and took to the field to ‘see if Basson was all right’. Mealamu had come across to shake hands with Basson and as the two walked off, he tossed the water bottle in their direction, hitting the Blues skipper on the back of the head.
Mealamu was shocked and angry but restrained himself before the man, named as Johannes Nel, was taken away by security and immediately arrested.
Nel has since claimed that was simply passing the bottle to Basson after he left it behind. He has since apologised to everybody involved, and has been charged with common assault, but the docket was reportedly not enrolled as it was up to Mealamu or the Blues to initiate further proceedings.
Blues team manager Bryce Anderson said that Mealamu wasn’t injured, just shocked.
The Blues Bulls Company has issued a full apology to the Blues on behalf of their board, managers, team, and supporters. Mealamu and Anderson accepted the apology and were reportedly impressed with the handling of the matter.
Loftus is known to be a hostile place to play rugby, and this incident – along with the filth that was being spouted from the sidelines afterwards – will further tarnish the image of fans in that region.
Below is the full incident in context, with the try & amatuer footage included [credit: Sluipslaper]. You can view two other crazy pitch invader incidents from the past in the related posts below.
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France leave Murrayfield victorious after Scotland scare
Scotland scored two tries as they looked to upset World Cup finalists France at Murrayfield, but couldn’t hang on for a win as the visitors came away 23-17 victors, keeping their hopes of a Grand Slam alive.Â
Scotland produced one of their better performances in recent times but the stats say that this was their fifth straight defeat, and third in a row in the Six Nations. They can however take a lot of positives from a game in which they scored two tries.
Had it not been for injuries to Rory Lamont, Greig Laidlaw, and Mike Blair, the Scots could well have sprung a surprise win over the French, who admitted later that they were caught off guard.
“We were taken aback by by the rhythm and dynamism of the Scots in the opening 15 minutes,” said captain Thiery Dusautoir. “We got back into it little by little and found our own rhythm and gradually asserted ourselves on the match against a really good Scottish side.”
Coach Philippe Saint-Andre echoed the sentiment, saying that it won’t be long before Scotland come good on all their promise.
“The difference between winning and losing is in small details. When you look at Scotland’s last four games, in the World Cup they lost in the last minute to Argentina and the try by England (in New Zealand) was in the 77th minute,” explained Saint-Andre.
“Against England again in the Six Nations, Scotland created four or five opportunities but one turnover and England won the game. And against Wales they had control of the first half and then they had a yellow card and Wales scored two tries.
“We just said ‘we’re worried, we hope it wouldn’t be us’. I’m sure Scotland will very soon beat a fantastic team because they have some fantastic players,” he added.
France will need to win their next two games if they hope to have a Grand Slam finale showdown with Wales in Cardiff. It’s a an uphill battle though with Ireland, England, and then Wales the three sides they face over the next three weekends.
Do you think France, with their classy backs and experienced pack, can go all the way?Â
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Wales looking strong after solid win over Scotland
Scotland picked up two yellow cards as they lost 27-13 to Wales in their Six Nations meeting on Sunday. It was another game of missed chances for the Scots, and the Welsh are now in a strong position as they head into their next game, against England.
In two week’s time Wales will head to Twickenham to take on the old enemy in a game that may well set them on the path for the Grand Slam. The’ve had a good run of form and have scored six tries in their two games so far, building up the hype at home.
“Iâm sure the nation is going to get revved up again and weâll be the only sane ones left here. Itâs hard to escape sometimes when youâre walking around Tesco but youâve just got to keep your feet on the ground,” prop Adam Jones told Wales Online.
“Weâve got something to play for now and going to Twickenham to try and win a Triple Crown is an exciting prospect. Obviously they can still win one as well so itâs going to be an exciting game.”
As for Scotland, at 27-6 down they had a try disallowed from the impressive young Stuart Hogg after it was ruled to have been knocked on. A few minutes later they did score, and built some nice phases in the last twenty minutes of the game.
Recently retired Dan Parks says that there is plenty to build on, particularly at flyhalf.
“Jacko (Ruaridh Jackson) is an excellent open-field runner and he has great skills and his kicking game has come on leaps and bounds. Greig (Laidlaw) brings something slightly different. Judging on his showing against Wales, he can be very crafty. He can score points which is vital.
“And Duncan (Weir) is similar to myself. He has a great kicking game and also accumulates points. The future for Scotland 10s is very bright and the future for Scotland is bright,” he said.
You can view highlights of the game below
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Force to bring in new blood after trial
Western Force coach Richard Graham will wait until after his side’s first trial before deciding which position to fill with a second import.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Toulouse stay top after bonus point win over Connacht
Toulouse played some great rugby as they eased passed Connacht to stay top of Pool Six following their Heineken Cup game at the Stade Ernest Wallon stadium on Saturday. The 24-3 bonus point win leaves them sitting pretty after another impressive display.
Connacht started well with three points from flyhalf Niall O’Connor but things soon turned the way of the hosts as flying Timoci Matanavou got on the end of a deft kick ahead from Maxime Medard.
Matanavou was in the mood for running, as can be seen in the highlights, but Medard soon crossed himself as he got on the end of a well placed crosskick from Kiwi number ten Luke McAlister.
They went into the break with the scores at 10-3 but Toulouse piled on the pressure in the second half and scored when powerful number eight Louis Picamoles took a quick tap to score.
Connacht reigned the impressive French outfit in to an extent, but couldn’t prevent them from scoring the bonus point try when Medard once again turned provider and Matanavou flew down the left wing to score their fourth.
In the final round of matches Toulouse, who sit comfortably on top with 18 points, will face Gloucester at Kingsholm. Connacht will host Harlequins at home on Friday and despite their loss to the French giants, will no doubt feel buoyed by their spirited effort.
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Benoit August playacting after James Short lashes out
In a week from now round 5 of the Heineken Cup resumes across Europe so today, and hopefully over the next week, we’ll aim to post a few requested clips from previous rounds. Here’s one that outraged Saracens fans, for more than one reason.
In round 2 of the competition Biarritz beat Saracens 15-10 in a match that was tight and lowscoring but produced two fantastic tries nevertheless.
Late in the game Saracens came close to putting themselves in a winning position as they almost scored in the corner through James Short, but he was held up and the try didn’t stand.
Unfortunately for Saracens Short’s frustration showed as he lashed out at hooker Benoit August, striking him in what appeared to be the throat. A dramatic flop to the floor followed, and the possesion – which was going to go the way of the visitors – was reversed with a penalty for Biarritz.
It looked for all money to be some serious acting, but only August himself will know if he was genuinly injured or not. The whole scene was quite amusing though as players could be seen sniggering as he fell over, and then when referee Nigel Owens made the call to penalise Short.
The lesson though, despite the possible overacting, is that he shouldn’t have given the opposition the opportunity to milk a penalty in such circumstances, however farcical it may have appeared.
Do you think that in future players that act in such a way should possibly be cited?
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Cooper banned after bar altercation
Queensland pub bans Wallabies rugby union player Quade Cooper after the injured star had an alleged altercation with a female patron.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Brown on track after surgery
Western Force No.8 Richard Brown is on track to make the start of the Super Rugby season despite not yet resuming full contact training.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Chris Hala’ufia suspended internally for six weeks after citing for dangerous tackle
Tongan forward Chris Hala’ufia was cited recently following a hit he made against Racing Metro in a Pool two match in the Heineken Cup. London Irish have decided to impose a six week ban after holding an internal disciplinary hearing.
Hala’ufia was only just back from a seven week ban for another high tackle earlier in the season when he put this hit in on Racing Metro fullback Gaetan Germain. As you can see in the clip, he went off injured with a sore hand/wrist too.
Irish have also imposed a sanction of an undisclosed fine which will be donated to a charity and they will review their rulings once the outcome of the ERC hearing is known.
The abbrasive 33 year old has now served four bans in the past two years. If found guilty by the ERC, which is likely to be the case, he will more than likely receive yet another hefty suspension.
He was cited for a contravention of Law 10.4(e), which states the following:
Law 10.4(e) – Dangerous tackling of an opponent including a tackle or an attempted tackle above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders. Under the IRB Recommended Sanctions for Offences Committed within the Playing Enclosure, Law 10.4(e) carries the following penalties: Low End: 2 weeks; Mid Range: 6 weeks; Top End: 10+ to 52 weeks.
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Harlequins fine Care after arrest
England scrum-half Danny Care is fined an undisclosed amount by Harlequins after being arrested following last weekend’s defeat by Toulouse.
BBC Sport | Rugby Union | UK Edition
O’Connor’s head spinning after move
Wallabies five-eighth James O’Connor is urged to find his voice in time for Saturday’s clash against the Barbarians at Twickenham.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Worsley retires after neck injury
Wasps and England forward Joe Worsley retires from rugby due to the neck injury he suffered last season.
BBC Sport | Rugby Union | UK Edition
Ryan Lamb calls for TMO after high flying penalty
Here’s a quick look at what happened in a recent Aviva Premiership game when Northampton Saints’ Ryan Lamb kicked what he thought was a successful penalty. The TMO was called into play, but even then, the result of the kick was inconclusive.
In the World Cup we saw an incident in the Sprinboks vs Wales pool game when James Hook kicked a penalty that he was adamant had gone over. It was ruled otherwise at the time, and there was no referral to the Television Match Official, which outraged Welsh fans following the loss.
In that occasion it wasn’t clear that it had gone over, even on TV, but there was still a huge amount of controversy simply because the TMO wasn’t called into action. Fast forward two months and Lamb’s kick for Saints showed that even when calling for the fourth official, the correct decision is not certain.
In this case the benefit of the doubt went with the referees on the field, who thought it missed. Lamb was certain it swung in, but TV replays weren’t clear as the bright background of the sky and a few poor angles meant we were none the wiser. The solution? Double the length of the posts.
In the real world, endangering low flying aircrafts isn’t the way forward. This is probably just one of those things we can’t control. On most occasions the guys below the posts, and the ref, should have the best view. When things are questioned or the officials are unsure, a call to the TMO is the correct one. At times we’ll get a situation like this, but it’s a rarity thankfully, and until someone comes up with a hawkeye for the posts, life goes on.
Some of you wanted to see this again, so while it’s possibly one of the most boring clips ever posted on here, it is an interesting one that is fairly topical, following the Hook incident and then the kick from Stephen Donald in the RWC Final, that some still think missed.
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Fuimaono-Sapolu faces ban after tweet
Gloucester centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu is in trouble again after he threatened Saracens’ Owen Farrell in an outburst on Twitter.
Planet Rugby | Rugby Union News
Johansson after Rebel resurrection
Lloyd Johansson will be out to resurrect his rugby career with Melbourne Rebels after several seasons away from the spotlight.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Henry praises NZRU after World Cup win
All Blacks coach Graham Henry reflected on the New Zealand Rugby Union’s decision to reappoint him in 2007 after the pain of a quarter-final loss against France.
ESPNSTAR.com
Tuilagi detained after ferry jump
England centre Manu Tuilagi is warned for disorderly behaviour by New Zealand police over an incident that saw him jump from a ferry in Auckland.
BBC Sport | Rugby Union | UK Edition
Townsend wary after poor showing
Scotland attack coach Gregor Townsend knows Georgia present a fresh formidable challenge following the unconvincing opening Pool B win over Romania.
ESPNSTAR.com
TMO calls a forward pass after All Blacks appear to have scored
Earlier today the Springboks beat the All Blacks 18-5 in their Tri Nations encounter in Port Elizabeth. Here’s a quick look at one of the big talking points from the game.
You can have a look at the incident yourself below, but in a nutshell, Israel Dagg broke the line and was pulled down short of the tryline, then popped the ball to Jimmy Cowan with a pass that went forward. Cowan crossed over, placed the ball, and it looked like it would be called a try.
Referee George Clancy and his assistant ref missed it, or possibly had some doubts, and there appeared to be some questions over the grounding so he called for TMO Johan Meuwesen, who after saying there was no problem with the grounding, then offered further advice.
“Do you…
Read more and view the video by visiting the homepage now, or clicking the post title above.
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O’Connor apologises after no-show
Wallabies back James O’Connor has apologised after he missed the Australia World Cup squad announcement
Rugby World Cup 2011 rugby news from Scrum.com
Kaplan rested after road accident
Leading referee Jonathan Kaplan has been rested for the World Cup warm-up Tests after sustaining injuries during a road accident in South Africa last week
Rugby World Cup 2011 rugby news from Scrum.com
